


The Princess and the Shorty

by gonnaflynow



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, M/M, erwin is the prettiest princess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 08:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3350531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonnaflynow/pseuds/gonnaflynow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gather round, children. It's time for a bedtime story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Princess and the Shorty

**Author's Note:**

> for [sennfan](http://sennfan.tumblr.com), though it was more of a pleasant wake-up story for her in the end <3 (thanks for letting me share it with the world!)

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Erwin and a handsome but grumpy knight named Levi. Erwin had been locked away in the castle since his birth, and everyone took his beauty as a given even though they had never even seen him, for in fact, a terrible curse had been cast upon him as a young child – if anyone so much as looked at him, they would crumble to dust, unworthy of gazing upon his shining visage. This of course left Erwin very lonely, but his parents were clever and actually made sure to Erwin-proof the castle so that there would be no sneaking out to accidentally terrorize the kingdom. Erwin's natural curiosity crumbled very quickly, and he spent his days locked in his room, receiving food through a flap in the door and taking up reading and knitting in his abundant spare time.

One day, rumors broke out that a powerful knight from a neighboring kingdom had crossed the border, searching for a new monarchy for which to pledge himself. ‘Humanity's Strongest’ they called him, the name invoking shivers of fear and a great sense of pride in the people. It wasn't long until Humanity's Strongest came to knock on the castle doors of Sina, and the king and queen accepted him into their ranks with open arms. He quickly rose to become the leader of the knight's guild, inspiring courage and fortitude amongst his kind as they prepared to face the looming threat of war posed by the Kingdom of Titania.

It was several weeks into his life at the castle that Levi finally heard of Erwin, the mythic princess, never before seen by human eyes. Something about the name piqued his curiosity, and he began to ask around to find out all he could. The cooks and servers in the kitchen confirmed that they sent a meal up three times a day, delivered by a small serving girl named Petra. Levi found her later that day as she was rounding the corner with Erwin's meal tray.

"Here, let me help you with that," said Levi, placing two rough hands on Petra's smaller ones to calm her trembles.

"Y-you're, you're—" she squeaked. "I, I've just heard so much about you, Mr. Levi, it's an honor, truly..."

"You flatter me," Levi said earnestly, stooping to her level on bended knee. "Is this going to the princess? May I accompany you?"

"Wh-why of course!!" Petra stammered. "I would welcome the company!" 

"The crown princess does not speak to you?" Levi asked, confused.

"Well, I've tried to talk to him before and he doesn't seem very interested in conversation. Maybe he's too afraid to get close to someone." 

"Lead the way, Petra," said Levi, taking the tray from her small hands. "I should like to meet this princess for myself." And lead Petra did, marching Levi through winding corridors and up countless flights of stairs until they arrived at a nondescript door on the top floor of the west wing of the castle.

"I got a special knock I use when I have his food," Petra whispered. 

"Will you teach it to me?" Levi asked, eyes shining in the dimness. Petra nodded furiously and put a small finger to her lips before knocking on the door, twice fast and three times slow. After a moment of stifling silence, a small hinged flap nestled in the base of the door swung open.

"I've got your dinner, Miss Erwin," Petra chirped. "Your favorite: roasted goose." A demure 'thank you' was barely audible as a pair of pale hands reached for the tray, disappearing as quickly as they came. "I hope you enjoy it, Miss Erwin. I'll be back tomorrow morning with your breakfast!" The flap shut with a click, and feet shuffling away on the other side of the door signaled that the conversation was over.

"Is he always like that?" Levi asked.

"Yeah," said Petra. "I've tried to talk to him cause he must be so lonely, but he hasn't said much other'n 'thank you'."

"Hum," Levi said thoughtfully, and he escorted young Petra back to the kitchens with a kiss on the cheek and the promise to visit more often.

It wasn't long until Levi started to regularly accompany Petra to deliver Erwin's supper every night, until one day she fell ill and Levi offered to take the food up in her place.

"Oh, Levi, sir, we can't have you doing that," the cooks protested. 

"Nonsense," said Levi, brushing them off, "it's my duty to help out around here. I want to do what I can, and today that means picking up Petra's duties, if only for one meal." Levi left with the tray, many thanks at his heels, and proceeded to the west wing at a sharp clip.

It wasn't long until he was standing in front of Erwin's door. He knelt to the ground and knocked, just as Petra had taught him, and on cue, the flap creaked open.

"I've got your dinner," said Levi picking up the tray and sliding it halfway past the door. The pale hands came out but shied back in as quickly as they appeared. 

"You're not Petra," said the voice on the other side of the door. 

"No, she's sick today," said Levi, "and I thought I would help out in her absence."

"That's awfully nice of you," the voice said shyly. "May I know your name?"

"I'm Levi. I'm the captain of the knights."

"Oh," said the voice, breathlessly. "I've seen you practicing in the courtyard. You're very talented. The other knights must greatly look up to you."

"I suppose they do," Levi mused. "But Princess, I don't think that's very kind of you."

"Wh-what?!" stammered the voice. "Why would you say that?" 

"Seems our crown princess has somewhat of a voyeuristic streak," Levi grinned. "Watching me all day while I practice, and meanwhile, I have yet to see any more of you than your hands, beautiful though they are."

"B-but, you must have heard of the curse!" the voice squeaked. Levi could sense Erwin's blush from the other side of the door. "No one can ever lay eyes on me or they'll turn to dust!"

"Princess, let me ask you a question. Do you think your beauty is really enough to crumble the heart of man?"

"Well, in truth, it's hard for me to say. I've only lived with myself for all these years..."

"Hm. In that case, I would like to see it for myself."

"But Levi, sir, you can't! You'll die!" Erwin cried.

"Princess, do you know what the people call me? They call me Humanity's Strongest. I think that you should at least allow me the opportunity to prove that to you."

"What if you're wrong?" the princess said quietly.

"Then it would be an honor to die for you," said Levi. "I can think of no greater cause."

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

"Positive," Levi nodded. "Princess Erwin, would you please open the door?"

"...alright," came the voice on the other side, and the lock flipped.  Levi set the dinner tray on a nearby table and slowly opened the door and slipped inside. The room within was filled top to bottom with bookshelves and blankets, most of them hand-knitted. But there was no sign of the princess!

"Now now," Levi chided, closing the door behind him. "It does no good to let me in and then hide, does it?" A small squeak came from behind the draperies. Levi smiled when he saw a pair of white stockinged feet sticking out underneath, toes wiggling in anticipation. "Princess," Levi said coyly. "Please come out."

"...I'm scared to. I don't want to hurt you."

"You're hurting me more by being this close," said Levi, "and yet I am still unable to see you. I promise, I will fight this curse if it rears its head." Levi extended a hand next to the curtain. "Come out, Princess Erwin." The familiar pale hand slid out from behind the draperies, grasping Levi's hand firmly, and the rest of the princess followed.

Levi was quite sure he had never seen anyone as beautiful in his life. Rich golden curls tumbled like a sunshower over Erwin's broad shoulders, and he was clad in a dress of the finest blue silk, white feathers appearing to dance on the skirt as he moved towards Levi. At first, he cast his eyes down demurely, face hidden behind his hand, but as he gained confidence he slowly emerged from his shell, blue eyes boring into Levi's soul as he finally stood straight. Levi felt something strong stirring in his chest.

"Princess," he whispered, "you are truly a sight to behold."

A faint blush stained Erwin's cheeks and he dropped Levi's hand, spinning away in embarrassment. "S-so are you," he said quickly. "Up close I mean." Levi bit his lip to hide a smile and approached Erwin, hands sliding over his shoulders.

"So," he murmured, hot breath caressing the shell of Erwin's delicate ear, "it appears I haven't crumbled yet. What say you to that, my fair?"

Erwin shivered at the first human touch he had felt in years. "I guess there's a reason you're called Humanity's Strongest after all," he whispered.

"Or," Levi posited, "there was no curse at all."

"What!?" said Erwin, whirling around. "How can that be?!"

"Princess, I think what you experienced was a magnified case of jealousy. Whoever did this to you clearly didn't want to share you with the rest of the world… to be fair, I wouldn't want to share, either."

"Do you think that's really possible?" Erwin said incredulously. 

"Princess, do you remember the name of the one who set this ‘curse’ upon you?" Levi asked. "For I will make it my life's mission to hunt them down and give them what they deserve for denying the world of your presence for these many years."

"The sorcerer's name was Ereri," Erwin muttered, "but that's not important now. Let him go. You have better things to do with your life."

"Like what?" said Levi, butterflies in his stomach. Erwin swallowed.

"Like keeping me company?" he said, wringing his hands behind his back. "I should very much like to get to know you better, and I'm sure I have a lot of catching up to do on all the things I missed."

Levi slid a hand along the side of Erwin's face and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. "Whatever my princess desires," he murmured.

Levi took over Petra's dinner duties from then on, excusing himself every night to Erwin's room and getting him up to date on the major events he had missed in the past twenty years. Levi, as it turned out, had a natural gift for storytelling, surprising even himself, and he talked to Erwin for hours on end, making even the driest report something to look forward to.

Their bond grew quickly, a deep bond of trust, and it wasn't long until Erwin confessed his love in the wee hours of a Saturday night in the summer, heat and embarrassment painting his face and chest red. Levi was overjoyed and gathered Erwin up in his arms, laying him out on the bed and finally giving voice to the deep desires that had been consuming them both.

It wasn't long until Petra found them out – Levi had begun to stay the night in Erwin's chambers, holding him in his arms until they both drifted off to sleep, and made the mistake of answering the door for breakfast one morning – and Levi and Erwin finally decided to reveal to the world that "the curse had been broken." Fortunately for Levi, he was wed to Erwin within the year amidst the sweeping colors of the autumn leaves, so he didn't have to share his treasure with anyone after all. They lived happily ever after for the rest of their days, governing the kingdom side by side with wisdom and grace, and fucking a lot on the side in all likelihood.

_~*~the end~*~_

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are incredibly appreciated. thanks for taking the time to read this. :)


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